Steam-heating system.



No. 841,389. .PATENTED JAN. 15, 1907;.1

F. G. GOFF.

STEAM HEATING SYSTEM. APPLIOATION FILED JULY 10, 1906.

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Elm-841,389.

PATENTED JAN. 07. F. 0. GOFF. STEAM HEATING SYSTEM APPLICATION FILEDJULY 10, 1906.

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UNITED sTATEs FRANK O. GOFF, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

STEAM-H EATING SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

Application filed July 10,1906. Serial No. 325.525.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK 0. Gone, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Heating Systems;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steam-heating systems of theclass in which a motor-valve is employed for ridding the system of thewater of condensation.

One of the novel features of my improved construction is a specialconstruction of motor for operating the valvepiece, the said motorincluding a bellows-like portion where by the motor is more sensitive tothe actuating-fluid pressure than is the case with motors of ordinaryconstruction.

The ordinary constructions of motor, so far as I am aware, consisteither of spring-held pistons slidable in the valve-casing or diaphragmssecured at their edges and whose movement is principally due to theirelasticity or stretching capacity. In either case as the pressurecontinues to act on the motor the power required to actuate itincreases, since the tension of the spring bebind the piston in the onecase and the ten sion of the elastic body in the other case increases.In order to overcome this difficulty, to a large extent at least, themovable portion of my improved motor, or the part upon which I rely foractuating the valve, consists of a bellows-like structure having one ormore folds, depending upon the degree of movement required. With thisstructure the pressure required to actuate it within the limits requiredfor operating the valve is practically uniform or does not vary to anyappreciable extent.

Another feature of my improved construction consists in locating anexpansion-tube within the compartment adjacent the outer side of themotor, the said expansion device being adapted to close or cut offcommunication between the compartment on the outer side of the motor andthe fluid pressure of the system, whereby the pressure, acting on theopposite side of the motor, serves to keep the valve closed except whenthere is suflicient accumulation of water in the system to seal thepassage leading to the compartment on the outer side of the motor, inwhich event the expansion device is cooled and contracts sufficiently toopen the said passage, whereby the pressure on opposite sides of themotor is equalized. In this event the motor through its own tension orthrough the assistance of a spring, as may be desired, acts to open thevalve and allow the water of condensation to escape. The motor may beoperated either through the instrumentality of the pressure within thesystem or an exhausting device connected with the return-pipe or bothcombined, as may be desired.

Having briefly outlined my improved construction I will proceed todescribe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing my motor-valveconnected with the. system and also with an exhausting device. Fig. 2 isa fragmentary section of the system, shown on a larger scale, the valvemechanism being also sectionized. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of thevalve, showing a slightlymodified form of construction.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate a radiating device; 6, the valve; 7, thereturn-pipe; and 8, an exhausting device connected with the return-pipe.

The valve 6 is composed of a casing having a body part 9 and a screw-cap10. This casing is suitably connected with the radiating device. Thebottom of the valve-casing is provided with an opening 12, adapted to beclosed by a valve 13, provided with a hollow stem 14, to whose extremityremote from the valve is connected a diaphragm 15, attached to thebellows portion 16 of the motor. The extremity of the motor remote fromthe valve-stem is held in place by the screwcap 10.

The casing is divided by the motor into two compartments, (designated 17and 18, respectively.) Located directly above the valve-stem is a rod19, attached to the top of the screw-cap 10. The lower extremity of thisrod is provided with a seat 20, adapted to engage the upper extremity ofthe valvestem and limit the upward or closing movement of the valve andprevent the latter from moving farther than is necessary for closingpurposes.

Within the compartment 17 of the valvecasing is located a tubular device21, in which is adjustably mounted an expansiontube 22. Entering oneextremity of the tubular device is one extremity of a small pipe 23,whose opposite extremity is located at any desired part of the system,as shown at 24. Both ends of this pipe are open when the system is notin use.

If we assume ,now that the system is not in use and that the valve 13 isopen or in its normal position, the operation of the device will be asfollows: WVhen the steam is first turned into the system, it will enterthe valve-casing on both sides of the motor. The expansion-tube 22 willshortly close the pipe 23, thus cutting off connnunication be- .tweenthe pressure of the system and the compartment 17 on the outside of themotor. The pressure then on the opposite side of the motor will serve toclose the valve, since the diaphragm part 15 is of greater surface areathan the valve itself. However, as the water of condensation designatedA in the drawings) accumulates 1n the system and seals the extremity 24of the pipe 23 the expansion-tube'22 will soon cool sufficiently tocause it to contract and open the adjacent extremity of the pipe 23,allowing the water to enter the compartment 17, whereby the pressure isequalized in the compartments 17 and 18. The tension of the bellowsfeature of the motor will then act to open the valve to allow the waterof condensation to escape. As soon as this water escapes the steam willagain enter the chamber 17 through. the pipe 24 and the temperature ofthe expansiontube will be raised sufliciently to cause it to expand andclose the pipe 24, in which event the pressure in the chamber 17 will bereduced below what it is in the compartment 18, and the pressure willact on the motor to close the valve, as heretofore explained.

The hollow valve-stem 14 is provided with a suitable stop 25, whichlimits the downward movement of the valve during its opening movement.

The form of construction shown in Fig. 3

' vis substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 2, except that aspring 26 is employed to aid the bellows portion of the motor inimparting the opening movement to the valve,- while a float 27 isemployed for opening communication between the compartments 17 and 18 ofthe valvecasing. This float is provided with a lever-like arm 28,fulcrumed at 29. To this lever device is attached a stem 30, whichpasses through the bottom 15 of the motor and has a valve 31 ing throughwhich the stem 30 passes is somewhat larger than the stem in order toopen communication betweenthe compartments 17 and 18 when the float 27is raised by the accumulation of water of condensation in the system.The operation of this device is substantially the same as that shown inthe other forms of construction.

Assuming that steam is turned into the system, it will act on thediaphragm 15 of the motor to close the valve, and the latter will remainin this position until the water of condensation accumulatessufficiently to raise the float 27, in which event the small port 32will be opened, allowing the pressure to equalize in the twocompartments 17 and 18. Thetension of the bellows portion of the motoracting in conjunction to the spring 26 will then act to open the valve.

In case an exhauster is used with my improved valve construction, if weassume that the exhausteris set in operation at the time the steam isturned into the system, the air will be exhausted from the systemthrough the return or the discharge pipe. As soon as the steam entersthe compartment 17 of the valve-casing it acts on the expansion-tube 22to close the latter. The exhauster then acts to produce a vacuum withinthe chamber 17 to a sufficient extent to cause the bellows portion 'ofthe motor to move upwardly and close the valve 13. This condition willcontinue until the water of condensation is accumulated sufficiently tocool the expansiontube 20 to cause the latter to open. In this event theinfluence of the exhauster will be the same in both compartments 17 and18 of the valve-casing, with the result that the valve will be openedthrough the recoil of the bellows portion of the valve either alone oraided by an auxiliary spring 26, as shown in Fig. 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isr 1. A motor-valveprovided with a valvepiece, and a motor having a bellows-shaped portionfor actuating the valve-piece, the motor being actuated by thedifferential pressures of the system acting directly on the oppositesides thereof.

2. A motor-valve provided with a casing, a motor-diaphragm separatingthe easing into two compartments, said diaphragm having a bellows-shapedportion, 'a valvepiece connected in operative relation with the saidbellows portion, and means located in the compartment on the outer sideof the motor and controlled by the conditions Within the system forregulating the pressure on the outer side of the motor, whereby thevalve is controlled by the differential pressure of the system actingdirectly on the opposite sides of the motor.

3. A motor-valve consisting of a casing, a diaphragm secured to thecasing and separating the latter into two compartments, the

said diaphragm being provided with a bellows portion connected with thevalve-piece, and a temperature-controlled device located in thecasing-compartment on the outer side of the motor,.and a pipe leadingfrom the system to the said device, the end of the pi e adjacent thesaid device being automatically opened and closed by the conditionswithin the system, and the motor being directly acted on by thepressures within the system.

4. In a heating system, the combination of a radiating device, adischarge-pipe, a valve interposed between the outlet of the radiatingdevice and the discharge-pipe, a pressure-motor for operating saidvalve, said motor having its opposite sides directly acted upon by thepressures Within the system, a passage connecting the fluid-pressurecompartment on the outside only of the motor with a portion of thepressure system beyond or outside of the inlet side of the valve device,and means for controlling the pressure on the outer side of said motor,said means being adapted to be controlled by the fluid passing throughsaid passage.

5. A motor-valve comprising a casing, a valve-piece, and a motor havinga bellowsshaped portion for actuating the valve-piece, the motor beingdirectly actuated by the pressure within the system.

6. A motorvalve com rising a casing having an outlet-port, a va ve-piecefor controlling said port, and a motor having a bellows portion directlyconnected with, the stem of the valve-piece for actuating the latter,the motor being located within the casing and directly acted on by thepressure within the system.

7. In a heating system, the combination of a radiating device, adischarge-pipe, a

valve interposed between the outlet of the radiating device and thedischarge-pipe, a pressure-motor for operating said valve, said motorhaving its oppositesides acted upon by the pressures within the system,and having a bellows portion directly connected with the valve-piece,and an eXhauster connected With the discharge-pipe, the motor beingdirectly acted on by the pressure within the system.

8. In a heating system, the combination of a radiating device, adischarge-pipe, a valve interposed between the outlet of the radiatingdevice and the discharge-pipe, a pressure-motor for operating saidvalve, said motor having its opposite sides directly acted upon by thepressures within the system, a passage connecting the fluid-pressurecompartment on the outside only of the motor with aportion of thepressure system beyond or outside of the inlet side of the valve device,and means for controlling the pressure on the outer side of said motor,said means being adapted to be controlled by the fluid passing throughsaid passage, and an exhauster connected with the discharge-pipe.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK C. GOFF. Witnesses A. F. OBRIEN, DENA NELsoN.

